Word Origin & History

macaronic 1611, form of verse consisting of vernacular words in a Latin context with Latin endings; applied loosely to verse in which two or more languages are jumbled together; from Mod.L. macaronicus (coined 1517 by Teofilo Folengo), from It. dial. maccarone (see macaroni), in allusion to the mixture of words in the verse: "quoddam pulmentum farina, caseo, botiro compaginatum, grossum, rude, et rusticanum" [Folengo].

Example Sentences for macaronic

I told him in three languages—in Italian, in French, and in Latin (macaronic, of course); but it was dense darkness to him.

Macaronic Poetry creates but little interest in these days, though there are still students who appreciate some of its qualities.

He himself observed due measure in it; but in the hands of his successors it degraded French to an almost Macaronic jargon.

For humorous but vivid pictures of a professor's lecture-room, see the macaronic poems of Odassi and Fossa quoted by me in vol.

Folengo in Italy and Arena in France are considered as the macaronic classics.

Freakish books, like macaronic poetry, written in a medley of languages, are curious.

Four Italian writers in macaronic verse are known to have lived before the year 1500.

Such was the man who has justly earned the reputation of being the first of macaronic poets.

What we may term the filth, indeed, forms a large proportion of the Italian macaronic poetry.

We may take a single example of the English macaronic from this poem, which will not need an English translation.